I deleted my first comment. After reading it, it didn't make sense. I first saw the movie not long after its release in the theaters although I don't remember the actual first time. I have a cool memory associated with going to see the movie on a subsequent trip to the theater. It was one of only a handful of movies I had ever gone to see more than once while it played at the theaters. When it came out I was working at the steel mill - night shift in the steel yard. We had all come in to work as usual when the foreman, Mike, said there weren't enough orders to fill and we could either stay at work and do nothing, or go home for the night - not an unusual occurrence. Star Wars was hot and I had already seen it (as did most of my co-workers), but someone suggested we all take in the late night showing at a nearby theater. So almost our whole steel yard gang decided to clock out and catch the late night showing. That was fun!
What a great memory Ed. Your whole crew there. Did you get hot dogs and soda? You must have been starving after a shift! Did you think Star Wars was something special, that it was something big?
Back in the '70s theaters were just transitioning to hot entrees like hot dogs. For most it was soft drinks, popcorn, and candy so I'm pretty sure all I had was a Coke and popcorn. In 1977 I was still working at a theater part-time on weekends (the Towne Theater on 3rd and Wisconsin Ave in downtown Milwaukee) and it only had drinks, popcorn, and candy. BTW here's my blog post about the Towne: https://toyconnect.blogspot.com/2020/07/november-1977-last-day-at-towne-theater.html
Oh, yes, Woodsy as soon as one saw the movie for the very first time it grabbed you and wouldn't let go. It was absotively, posilutely awesome! It felt as if everyone back then viewed it as cinematic history!
I didn't see SW at the time Ed and I don't know why. My Mum died that year, 1977 and it was terrible so maybe I didn't care at the time. I adore your blog post about the Towne, a really important bit of local history that Ed. Your spliced panoramas are fabulous and the shots you've got of the countless autographs are staggering. Bette Davis! Jimmy Cagney! Legends! I wonder what happened to all those? Such a huge shame it was all pulverized to make way for the giant ice cube they've say on top of it. Such is the way of so-called progress. Do other Towne fans know about your research and photos? They need to.
I did post it to the 'Old Milwaukee' fb group as well as one website devoted to old movie theaters so the info is out there. The fb group garnered the most attention and comments of any other post I had submitted to include comments by a couple of my old co-workers. So much of Milwaukee's history has been lost to the wrecking ball it's pathetic :-(
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ReplyDeleteI deleted my first comment. After reading it, it didn't make sense.
ReplyDeleteI first saw the movie not long after its release in the theaters although I don't remember the actual first time. I have a cool memory associated with going to see the movie on a subsequent trip to the theater. It was one of only a handful of movies I had ever gone to see more than once while it played at the theaters. When it came out I was working at the steel mill - night shift in the steel yard. We had all come in to work as usual when the foreman, Mike, said there weren't enough orders to fill and we could either stay at work and do nothing, or go home for the night - not an unusual occurrence. Star Wars was hot and I had already seen it (as did most of my co-workers), but someone suggested we all take in the late night showing at a nearby theater. So almost our whole steel yard gang decided to clock out and catch the late night showing. That was fun!
What a great memory Ed. Your whole crew there. Did you get hot dogs and soda? You must have been starving after a shift! Did you think Star Wars was something special, that it was something big?
DeleteBack in the '70s theaters were just transitioning to hot entrees like hot dogs. For most it was soft drinks, popcorn, and candy so I'm pretty sure all I had was a Coke and popcorn.
DeleteIn 1977 I was still working at a theater part-time on weekends (the Towne Theater on 3rd and Wisconsin Ave in downtown Milwaukee) and it only had drinks, popcorn, and candy. BTW here's my blog post about the Towne:
https://toyconnect.blogspot.com/2020/07/november-1977-last-day-at-towne-theater.html
Oh, yes, Woodsy as soon as one saw the movie for the very first time it grabbed you and wouldn't let go. It was absotively, posilutely awesome! It felt as if everyone back then viewed it as cinematic history!
DeleteI didn't see SW at the time Ed and I don't know why. My Mum died that year, 1977 and it was terrible so maybe I didn't care at the time. I adore your blog post about the Towne, a really important bit of local history that Ed. Your spliced panoramas are fabulous and the shots you've got of the countless autographs are staggering. Bette Davis! Jimmy Cagney! Legends! I wonder what happened to all those? Such a huge shame it was all pulverized to make way for the giant ice cube they've say on top of it. Such is the way of so-called progress. Do other Towne fans know about your research and photos? They need to.
DeleteI did post it to the 'Old Milwaukee' fb group as well as one website devoted to old movie theaters so the info is out there. The fb group garnered the most attention and comments of any other post I had submitted to include comments by a couple of my old co-workers. So much of Milwaukee's history has been lost to the wrecking ball it's pathetic :-(
DeleteHappening everywhere Ed. Glad your research is out there.
Delete